Wisdom In Warfare: The Battle Field Of The Mind

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Corinthians 10:4-5; For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

It is one thing to know the weapons of our warfare. It is another to know how to war.

The weapons may be available but the wisdom to war might be absent.

The scriptures are insistent on the wisdom of warfare. They remind us that wisdom is better than weapons of war (Ecclesiastes 9:18). They also tell us that it is God who teaches us to war (Psalms 144:1).

This means that God is very interested in instructing us in the patterns of warfare.

Look at David before Goliath. The weapons were available as given to him by King Saul. But he lay aside the weapons in favour of the wisdom of warfare (1 Samuel 17:38-39). For David, the wisdom of warfare was in fighting by covenant.

Our theme scripture teaches us another wisdom in warfare which is to understand that the mind is the battlefield.

Strongholds are in the mind.

The Apostle Paul paints this pattern of truth through our theme scripture. He speaks of “casting down IMAGINATIONS”, “everything thing that exalts itself against THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD,” “bringing into captivity EVERY THOUGHT.”

Imaginations, knowledge and thoughts have their seat in the mind.

It is warfare to renew the mind (Romans 12:2); it is warfare to set your mind on things above (Colossians 3:2); it is warfare to understand that God keeps in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3).

Know your battlefield, child of Faith–it is wisdom to do so. When you do, you will employ the right weapons of war.

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 12:2(AMP); Ephesians 6:17(MSG), Romans 8:6(NIV).

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Know your battlefield, child of Faith–it is wisdom to do so. When you do, you will employ the right weapons of war.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father I thank for the gift of your Word. I thank you because the weapons of my warfare are not carnal but they are mighty in you Lord. You are the God who teaches me to war and this day, I walk in the understanding of my battlefield. My thoughts are pure, my mind is sound. With wisdom, I have overcome and walk in victory every day to the glory of your name. Amen.

The God We Know

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Chronicles 16:7-9(KJV); And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

The Lord God is our ever present help in time of need (Psalms 46:1).

But oh, how quickly some people forget that. Some oscillate between relying on God and relying on the arm of flesh.

So was King Asa.

When the Ethiopians and Lubims attacked him, his dependence was solely on God. When Israel attacked him, he forgot the victory the Lord had given him against the Ethiopians and instead sought the help of the king of Syria.

When he did so, God, through His prophet Hanani rebuked him for it.

Think about it for a moment. What was victory to Asa was not victory to God.

The lesson here is that you must be careful from whom you seek help.

Chances are, the things that seem like help today will eventually become mightier than you because you give them a place of authority over your life. For Asa, the Lord told him that because of his actions, the King of Syria had escaped out of his hands. He would never know victory against Syria.

You may seek for help from the men of this world and find yourself a slave to those very men.

You may seek for help from the institutions of this world and find yourself as the victim of those institutions.

When you trust in the arm of flesh, it shall surely fail you.

You have God! He has promised, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Look to Him. Ignore the alternatives. Trust God!

FURTHER STUDY: Jeremiah 17:5-9, Psalms 46:1

GOLDEN NUGGET:
When you trust in the arm of flesh, it shall surely fail you. You have God. He has promised, He will never leave you nor forsake you. Look to Him. Ignore the alternatives. Trust God.

PRAYER: My God, I thank you for this Word. Lord I trust in you with all my heart, strength and mind. I do not lean on my own understanding but on your promise that stands true through all the ages, that you will never leave me nor forsake me, that you will never permit men to do me wrong, that you are my shield and buckler, the Lord of Sabaoth, my protector and my strong tower. I look to you God, in the perfect knowledge that I am hedged and protected by the Almighty God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Ultimate Way

Apostle Grace Lubega

Jeremiah 5:4 (KJV) Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

The highest place in wisdom is to understand the Person of Christ in His fullest revelation. The highest place of deception is to reject His very person.

Jesus Christ is the WAY of God (John 14:6). He is not merely the way TO the Father, He is the way OF the Father.

Many belief systems understand the ways of God, they DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE WAY.

There is a difference.

The ways of God are the shapes and forms in which He manifests His person. The way of God is His mind behind everything that He does.

There are many religious systems that have gleaned abit of how God manifests Himself. They are familiar with the ways of healing, the ways of divine providence or the ways of increase. However, some have rejected the way, the man Jesus, and as such are steeped in the highest levels of deception.

If the wisdom you carry doesn’t lead you to know the Way, the bible says, such wisdom will be brought to naught! (Isaiah 29:14).

It is therefore WISDOM to UNDERSTAND, give heed and carry a discernment of the Person of our Lord Jesus.

We know the Father, His character, mind, attitudes and convictions by the ministry of Christ. He is the way.

FURTHER STUDY: Isaiah 29:14, Psalms 103:7 NLT

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The highest place in wisdom is to understand the Person of Christ in His fullest revelation. The highest place of deception is to reject His very person. Jesus Christ is the WAY of God.

PRAYER: Blessed Saviour, I thank you for this great day. Thank you for such wisdom to know you as my ultimate WAY. My Lord you have made foolish the wisdom of this world because the world in its wisdom never knew you as their WAY. I declare that your Wisdom enlightens my eyes to perceive, discern and understand your character and how to manifest your acts. In Jesus name. Amen.

In Capable Hands

Apostle Grace Lubega

Psalms 105:14(NKJV); He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes.

I have counselled believers who have been so beaten by the storms of life that they were convinced that somehow, God, the very epitome of love, He that did not spare His own son, did not care about them.

It is indeed a sad state of affairs when a man conceives in his heart the great deception that God who is love has fallen short of the very lofty standard of His own personality.

I assure you, this is not so!

Our theme scripture says that He permits no one to do you wrong. What righteous justice!

The word used for “permit” in the scripture means “to allow, to tolerate, to give over or to grant one express license or liberty to do an act”.

This literally means that God can never allow or tolerate any one to do his children wrong. (Psalms 121:7-8).

God can never give you over to affliction, defeat or failure!

Every access and liberty the enemy would have used to do you harm was taken from him on the cross, and the keys handed over for your custody (Revelation 1:18).

You should never worry or lament about your life because the God that keeps you never sleeps neither slumbers. (Psalms 121:4).

You are the apple of God’s eye. (Psalms 17:8).

If He sent a cloud by the day to shelter the Israelites from the sun’s heat and a fire in the night to light their way, do you think He doesn’t care about you?

Child of God, even in your old age, the Lord promises to carry and bear you; He says He has done it and will keep doing it, carrying you on his back and saving you!! (Isaiah 46:4Msg).

You are in capable hands. God be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: Psalms 121:7-8, Isaiah 46:4(MSG).

GOLDEN NUGGET:

God can never give you over to affliction, defeat or failure! You are the apple of God’s eye.

PRAYER: Oh what a blessed opportunity to be owned by a God so caring! I thank you Lord because you are the lifter of my head. You are my strong buckler, a friend that sticks closer than a brother. You are my shield and fortress! You have imprinted my picture on the palm of each of your hands. The hairs on my head are numbered! Thank you for caring about me to the tiniest details of my life! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Faith Beholds And Rejoices

Apostle Grace Lubega

John 8:56 (MSG); Abraham–your ‘father’–with jubilant faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered.

Abraham represents the ministry of Faith.

Thus, when the scriptures speak of how he looked down the corridors of history, saw Christ’s day and rejoiced, it means that Faith celebrates the FUTURE AS NOW! (Hebrews 11:1).

Abraham danced because he beheld the magnitude of glory and revelation you would walk in today. Praise God!

He looked past any failure, any problems and challenges and beheld victory and rejoiced.

God thinks this way too. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and to Him tomorrow is as now. (Hebrews 13:8).

God never looks at you and worries about your next day, your next ministry, or how your children will study.

As Abraham’s seed and an heir to the promises of God, you ought to carry the same testimony of celebrating the future as now! (Galatians 3:29).

Faith doesn’t mean there will be no obstacles, it means that amidst all the turmoil, you celebrate your victory even before you see it!

That is the attitude of a victor.
Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 11:6, James 5:11

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Faith celebrates the future as now.

PRAYER: Heavenly father, I thank you for today’s Word. Just as my father Abraham was extremely happy and delighted at the hope and prospect of seeing my day, it can only be true that he saw how great my life would be. I thank you that I am Abraham’s seed, a child of faith. I rejoice at the vision of my future because it glows brighter each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daring Faith

Apostle Grace Lubega

Hebrews 11:1(AMP); NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

Faith is not for ordinary men!

When you purpose to get a hold of Faith, get a hold of it up to the end!

For we become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. (Hebrews 3:14).

One time, I was so sick and the doctors said that I only had days to live. I chose to believe!

The ordinary thing was to give in to self-pity and wait for fate to define my last days on the earth.

When you hear terrible news, the normal thing to do is to break down and wail while asking why God has to ‘pick’ on you all the time.

When you are told something is impossible, the normal thing to do is analyse the fifty reasons why it won’t work.

But there is a hard line that men with extraordinary faith in God must take.

People will think you’re crazy but choose faith. They will number you with the insane but choose faith.

It is not until normal men start to think there is something wrong with you, that you will have started moving in faith.

Some Christians prefer playing it safe, yet faith has given us access to a world of what men call “impossibilities!”

God hasn’t called you to live an ordinary life, go beyond!

Dare to believe God!

Get to a point in your belief system where the devil knows that there is nothing he can use to scare you because every trick is an old one!

Child of God, there is always a great manifestation of reward for men that have enlarged their faith to embrace the impossible in the sight of men. (Hebrews 10:35NLT).

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 11:2 (MSG), 1Corinthians 2:4-5

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Get to a point in your belief system where the devil knows that there is nothing he can use to scare you because every trick is an old one! God hasn’t called you to live an ordinary life, go beyond!  Dare to believe God!

PRAYER: Most excellent Father, awesome is your name! By faith the elders obtained a good report. Today I dare to walk out in faith in view of what you have spoken in your Word! I am justified by faith. In Jesus Name. Amen.

The Boldness Of Faith

Apostle Grace Lubega

Genesis 12:1-4(KJV); Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

When God told Abram to leave his homeland to the land He would show him, Abram simply walked out by Faith!

He left all that he was familiar with, his comfort zone, armed with only a promise from God and the boldness of his faith.

God did not instruct him to go north or south. He was not given a map or directions to his destination. He was only told to go to a land God was to show him.

Simply put, God just told Abram, “Go”, and Abraham started walking!

When the Lord instructs you by his Spirit or through his messengers to do anything, you ought not to ask how it be shall be done; just walk out in faith trusting that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. (Psalms 37:23NLT).

Faith means that, if the Lord tells you to believe for crazy things, don’t question the next step, simply walk out.

Be persuaded, convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue it, developing and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. (Philippians 1:6AMP). Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Genesis 12:1-3, 2 Corinthians 5:7

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Faith means that, if the Lord tells you to believe for crazy things, don’t question the next step, simply walk out trusting that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I give you praise for today. By faith I explore worlds men have never accessed with their natural ability. I walk out to serve and minister with a boldness of faith carrying a full conviction that you are working in me! I am not intimidated by any circumstance because I trust that you are not a son of man to lie and for that, I choose to wholly believe in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Proportion Of Faith

Apostle Grace Lubega

Romans 12:6(AMP); Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith.

God relates with us according to our levels of Faith.

Our theme scripture teaches us that every man ought to prophesy according to his measure or proportion of Faith.

Firstly, understand that under the New Testament dispensation, every Child of God has the grace to prophesy in their own life because we have received the sure Word of Prophecy (2 Peter 1:19).

Prophecy therefore is more than just the oracles of God as received from a man or woman of God but also what you speak over your life.

Some people speak big things but what they say does not correspond to the faith in their spirits.

If you speak contrary to the proportion of faith that you have, that’s called feigned faith; the faith that lies to self.

If you speak according to the faith you carry, that’s the spirit of truth and you will have the results of your faith.

Speak over your family, business or next level in ministry according to the proportion of faith you carry in your spirit.

When you carry the faith for those things, God doesn’t limit how far you can go.

If you believe something, speak it forth!! You shall have the results of your faith. Glory to God!

You want to have the greatest conglomerate on your continent. Do you believe it? Speak it forth.

You want to change this generation and the generations to come with the power of the gospel? Speak it forth!

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 12:3, Romans 10:17

GOLDEN NUGGET:
If you speak according to the faith you carry, that’s the spirit of truth and you will have the results of your faith.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for today. Thank you for the gift of Faith that is at work and operative through me. The spirit of Faith causes me to believe in places men have failed. I decree and declare that limitation and mediocrity are not my option. Out of my belly flow rivers of water to heal the world. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Understand Your Covering

Apostle Grace Lubega

Genesis 13:8-11(KJV); Gen 13:8-11 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left…Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Abraham was a man called by God. It was to Him that the Almighty God said, “Get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.” (Genesis 12:1).

He was the man of the promise, the man of the vision and the man with a clear mandate upon his life.

Lot understood this. When Abraham left the land he had called home for years, Lot tagged along (Genesis 13:1).

Because Lot attached himself to a man of vision, when the man of vision prospered, Lot prospered too. Because Lot attached himself to a man who had heard the voice of God, when the man who had heard the voice increased in greatness, so did Lot.

Lot was surely basking under the graces of multiplication that come with true submission to a spiritual covering.

The increased wealth posed a dilemma. Strife developed between their servants and with it came the ultimate test as to whether Lot understood the covering under which he had so greatly increased.

Abraham asked Lot, “Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand then I will go to the right hand or if you take the right hand then I will go to the left hand”(Genesis 13:9).

In that moment, Lot ignored a very fundamental and extremely important fact. Abraham was the man who had heard the voice of God. Abraham was the man whom God had called. It was Abraham whom the Lord told that he should go to a land He would show him.

Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan valley was well watered everywhere and he chose this for himself (Genesis 13:10-11).

A mistake!

If Lot had truly understood the covering under which he had left his homeland, he would have asked that same covering for counsel on which direction to go.

But no, he was deluded by the fact that he too had got herds and flocks; he too had prospered and multiplied.

And so, his ending was rather sad.

He pitched camp towards the corruption of Sodom and Gomorrah; one day, visitors to his home were almost assaulted by the evil men of the city in which he dwelt, he attempted to sacrifice his daughters at the altar of moral debauchery; he lost his home and his wife and then his daughters turned him into an instrument of perversion; His life ended in the secluded mountains of Zoar.

Lot’s story carries deep lessons for us, child of God.

Never allow the increase of blessings and material things to blind you from the importance of the counsel of spiritual authority.

Understand your covering.

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 13:17, 1 Timothy 5:17

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Never allow the increase of blessings and material things to blind you from the importance of the counsel of spiritual authority. Understand your covering

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for this great and immeasurable wisdom. I understand the importance of spiritual counsel. I am not blinded by the increase and multiplication around me. I am submitted to this wisdom and in this understanding, I know that I shall finish well. To the glory of your name. Amen.

The Power Of The Seed

Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 8:11(KJV); Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

The greatest revelation and true understanding of what seed is, is that it is the Word of God.

The parable, the mystery, the secret is that the seed does not only represent the Word; it is not merely an allegory of the Word; is not just a symbol of the Word but IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.

So, when we speak of seed, think of more than just money or any material things. Those are a small picture; they may be mere representations of seed but not the substance of the revelation of seed in the mind of the Father.

The parable is this, “THE SEED IS THE WORD OF GOD”.

This Word took on flesh and dwelt among men: the seed is Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior (John 1:14).

The bible says in Romans 9:29 that ‘unless the LORD of Sabaoth had left us a SEED, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.’

This means that the essence of the seed is to preserve you child of God! Men are destroyed because they lack seed.

If God had not left us Christ, the WORD, we would all be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah!

Purpose to invest in the Word because it is the seed you need to grow everything you must see in this life! Praise God!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 2:15, Romans 9:29

GOLDEN NUGGET:
The essence of the seed is to preserve you child of God! Men are destroyed because they lack seed. Purpose to invest in the Word because it is the seed you need to grow everything you must see in this life!

PRAYER: Most excellent Lord, I thank you for your precious Word that preserves my life and everything around me. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I rejoice at your word as one that has found great spoil. The entrance of your Word gives light and understanding to the simple! I choose to focus and invest in your Word daily. In Jesus Name. Amen

Of The Conscience

Apostle Grace Lubega

Romans 9:1(KJV); I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost…

The “Conscience” is that part in every man that hears God.

The degree to which you subject your conscience to the Word of God, is the degree to which you will hear and be responsive to truth.

God has granted you the precious gift of the Holy Spirit.

For this reason, you ought to live your life according to the dictates and convictions of the witness of the Holy Spirit.

The spirit of deception functions in men and women who yield to a false witness and not the true witness of the Holy Spirit. This spirit of deception sears one’s conscience the more one yields to it (1Timothy 4:1-2).

You must cultivate a life where the Holy Spirit always bears witness to your conscience.

Paul explains how by God, anyone can cultivate a clear conscience that is responsive to the convictions of the Holy Spirit.

He says, “Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men”. (Acts 24:16AMP).

If you must have a clear conscience, you ought to check your carnal affections and bodily appetites. Allow the Spirit of God to work in you that in all that you do, your flesh is always subjected to the strength of your spirit. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 1:3; Hebrews 10:22

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The degree to which you subject your conscience to the Word of God, is the degree to which you will hear and be responsive to truth.

PRAYER: My Lord, what a truth to know that my heart and conscience are cleansed and purified from any guilt by the pure water of your Word. Thank you Holy Spirit because daily, you teach me to walk void of offense toward God and men. I rule my spirit and subject my flesh to its demands. My conscience bears witness with the Holy Spirit that I am the child of God; that I am called of God and that I am sanctified and separated by God. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Gifts Versus The Word

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 14:12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual [gifts,] [let it be] for the edification of the church [that] you seek to excel.

The Kingdom of God does not function only by gifts.

It is good to have the gifts of the Spirit. However, for excellence to show forth, these gifts must be reconciled with the knowledge of God within you.

This means that you can only minister and function fully by the gifts of the Spirit to the extent of how much of the Word of God is in you.

Proverbs 18:16(NIV) says, “A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.” Gifts give you access to certain people and places of influence.

However, it’s only the wisdom in the Word of God that will keep you relevant among the great!

An account is given of a one Jew, Apollos who was gifted in public speech: whose eloquence in scriptures opened for him a door in the Jewish synagogues.

However; when Priscilla and Aquila heard his teaching, they took him with them, and expounded to him the way of God more definitely and more accurately. (Acts 18:24-27).

Apollos thus went on to stay relevant and of great impact to the church thereafter.

This also applies to the worshipper gifted with a beautiful voice; but only the Word of God in his or her spirit keeps his or her music relevant throughout the ages.

This applies to the Pastor whose gift may draw numbers to his church, however, only the Word of God keeps those same people coming back ten years down the road.

The Word of God is the only guarantee that your impact will last for generations. Purpose to study and give yourself wholly to it in this understanding.

FURTHER STUDY: Acts 18:24-28, 1Corinthians 14:12

GOLDEN NUGGET:

It is good to have the gifts of the Spirit. However, for excellence to show forth, these gifts must be reconciled with the knowledge of God within you.

PRAYER: My heavenly Father, I thank you for today. Thank you for your Word made flesh which now dwells in me. Thank you for the doors of ministry and the many other doors, that are opened for my sake. The wisdom in your Word works in me to sustain me in these places and it creates even more opportunities in my favour. By this truth, I move from glory to glory, from increase to increase, from multiplication to multiplication. To the Glory of your name. Amen.